Senators Ken LaValle, of Long Island, Terrence Murphy, of the Hudson Valley, Patrick Gallivan, of Western New York, and Betty Little, of the Adirondacks, will join the eight members already appointed to the interview committee by Assembly Democrats, Assembly Republicans and Senate Democrats, according to Senate Republican spokesman Scott Reif. The state Legislature’s vetting process begins today at 2 p.m., with the committee scheduled to interview acting-Attorney General Barbara Underwood and six other candidates.

Senate Republicans initially balked at participating in the review process crafted by the Assembly Democrats and said they would likely come at the process from “a different angle.” On Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan indicated their intention to participate, while reiterating his position that Underwood should fill the remainder of the term.

“No one who intends to seek this office in November should be a candidate to fill the position in the short-term,” Flanagan said in a statement on Monday. “It’s time to put people ahead of politics, and ultimately let the voters decide who their next Attorney General will be.”

The interview committee, which will be led by Brooklyn Democratic Assemblyman Joe Lentol, also includes Democratic assemblymembers Jeffrey Dinowitz, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and Matthew Titone; Republican assemblymen William Barclay and Brian Curran; and Democratic senators Martin Dilan and Brad Hoylman.

State law gives the Legislature the duty to fill a vacancy in the attorney general position, which gives the Assembly Democrats, who make up a plurality of the vote, a disproportionate control of the selection.